"Whatever you think you can do, or believe you can do, begin it, because action has magic, grace, and power in it." Goethe

Teaching Tip: Go Slow

Teachers are in too big of a hurry. We race from one subject to another, reviewing, drilling, introducing new content…worrying that our kids just aren’t getting it.

And often, they aren’t.

It is time to slow down.

For the past few days, my students and I have devoted fifteen minutes every morning to journal writing.

There is no prompt.

If we get stuck, we write down the moments from the second we opened our eyes.

We are establishing a structure.

Our minds are adjusting and becoming ready to revisit the page at the same time every day.

It’s a good thing.

There are no bells and whistles. No worksheets. No special programs.

Just pencils and paper and a room filled with children brimming with ideas.

After we write, we don’t hurry on. We talk.

I listen to sentences that stand out for my writers, sentences they didn’t expect to write, sentences that surprised them.

We make connections. We take time.
We are getting there.

I walked through the room later today and Ashlyn handed me a paper with two poems. Her offering of thanks.
I recognize it for what it is.
Jacob touches a comic book and looks at me for approval.
These kids know they need time. They are grateful when they get it.
They will get more of it from me. I promise.

A blog reaching out to victims of abuse and others in need, providing insight about abuse, hope for the future, and guidance to see THE LIGHT that lead Secret Angel out of the darkness of her own abusive situation and helped her to not only survive but to overcome.